5.99 US $5.99 Canada Display until 12/31/11 - Navigator Publishing

a new gasoline barge forwork in the New York area.“Volumes may actually bedeclining, considering someof the recent economicfactors,” he added. “Butdespite the downwardpressure on volumes, we findthat we are able to sustainour market share and keepour own volumes at healthylevels, probably as a resultof good customer service,”he said.In many otherindustries the effects ofthe recent recession havebeen far reaching withdepressive effects on awide range of businessesthat might be users of tugand barge services.In the case of manysmall operators in nichebusiness segments, workingto simply survive is still acommon sentiment.Donjon Marine is hardlya small business, but thewords of Witte are reflectiveof hard times that almost allbusinesses have experiencedin the past few years. “Whileindications are that weare certainly staying thesame, and probably gettingstronger, it could also bethat in this kind of economyeven holding our owncan be seen as a positivetrend, rather than goingbackwards,” said Witte.Even with the economyimproving, the recent risein diesel fuel prices hasadded one more hardshipfor tugboat operators,particularly those whohave no means of passingon costs to customers inthe form of surcharges.Still, investments innew equipment continueto be made, althoughmostly by the largestoperators who have themeans and the cashflow to support a capitalimprovement project. Inthis issue of AmericanTugboat Review and againin next year’s, the resultsof investments by some ofthe largest tug companiesin North America will bedocumented, along withthose of smaller operatorsand innovators, as they areintroduced. •American Tugboat Review 2011 7